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Our senior team brings a fusion of experience across professional services, investment banking and the Defence and National Security sector and is supported by an experienced Advisory Board.

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Australian riders in WWI uniform commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Light Horsemen’s successful charge at Be’er Sheva

Meet the LightHorse Team

Senior Team

Christian Nicks

Managing Director

Christian Nicks is a career investment banker with over twenty years’ experience working in Australia, the United States, Japan, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom. Christian spent over ten years at Goldman Sachs working in the general industrials, private equity, telecommunications, healthcare, transport and mining sectors. During his time at Goldman Sachs, he advised on a series of significant private equity transactions in Australia, including the A$2.6 billion private equity takeover battle for Healthscope, the A$2.7 billion leveraged take private of DCA by CVC Capital Partners, Healthscope’s A$3.6 billion joint bid (partnered with private equity) for Symbion Health and the A$1.1 billion sale of DCA Aged Care by CVC Capital Partners.
 
In 2010, Christian left Goldman Sachs to become Head of Investment Banking at Investec Australia, where he led a team of 35 professionals to substantially grow Investec’s advisory business. While at Investec, he initiated and advised on the A$1.1 billion acquisition of Spotless Limited by Pacific Equity Partners. The transaction employed several novel takeover techniques, was remarked to set the “high water mark for hostility in Private Equity takeovers in Australia,” and was ultimately successful after a campaign fought with the support of institutional shareholders. He also advised on the A$880 million sale of Ingham Enterprises to TPG, the sale of Supre Holdings to Cotton On, and advised Perpetual on its response to an unsolicited A$1.8 billion takeover approach from KKR.
 
Christian graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. He is a dual US and Australian citizen.

Ilenna 'Elle' Copley

Consulting Director

Ilenna is an experienced top tier commercial lawyer and executive business advisor, with extensive experience in Defence and National Security.  For over 20 years, Ilenna has provided legal and commercial advice to Boards and C-Suite executives, from major businesses to start ups, with a focus on achieving optimal strategic outcomes on a financially astute basis.  Beginning her legal career as an Associate to a Supreme Court Justice and progressing to Special Counsel at top tier international law firm, MinterEllison, where she maintained an unique dual focus practice, Ilenna has extensive commercial law and major dispute resolution experience, with an acute dedication to risk mitigation. In recent years Copley has focused on commercial / business advisory work, including to create, advise upon and deliver innovative initiatives.
 
Ilenna's recent defence work includes serving as Senior Australian Advisor to the international team of Shield AI Inc, a world leading artificial intelligence company cofounded in the United States by a former US Navy SEAL, which is creating the world's best AI pilot through V-BAT Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) and Hivemind AI platform, for Defence, border protection, government agencies and civil applications.  She drafted a long-term agreement between a large telecommunications corporation and the Department of Defence regarding the installation, access and maintenance of large-scale telecommunications infrastructure.  Ilenna drafted submissions and presentations to US Navy SEALs for delivery of specialised underwater breath management training, Hypercapnia Distress Tolerance Training (HDTT).  She has worked with former Special Air Service (SAS) officers and co-authors of The Resilience Shield to arrange The Resilience Retreat on Fitzroy Island, off Cairns.  Ilenna also secured all approvals and funding to establish the Royals Equestrian Centre Equine Therapy Programme for Military Personnel with Post Traumatic Stress and wrote the report to reflect its success.  The report was provided to HRH Prince Harry, who asked to be kept informed.
Ilenna is the author of an illustrated children’s book explaining long deployments to children, particularly for children of Special Operators, with profits to be donated to the U.S. Navy SEAL Foundation to support educational opportunities for children of Gold Star families.
 
Ilenna is a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland and High Court of Australia and holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons).

Lachlan Holman

Associate

Prior to joining LightHorse Group, Lachlan worked as an Investment Banking Analyst at Evolution Capital, specialising in equity capital markets and M&A activities for a broad range of Australian industries, including general industrials, emerging technology, and healthcare. Following his time at Evolution Capital, Lachlan worked as an Investment Analyst at Antipodes covering US and Australian healthcare services. Lachlan is pursuing a Bachelor of Economics and Advanced Studies in Finance and Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Sydney.

Noah Rooney

Associate

Noah has over 5 years’ experience advising companies in legal, consulting and investment banking capacities. Prior to joining LightHorse Group, he worked for McR Defence as a consultant where he advised businesses and government agencies operating in the Defence and National Security sector on strategic and operational projects. Noah also worked at McCullough Robertson Lawyers across corporate & commercial, litigation and intellectual property teams which has provided him a broad range of legal experience. Noah brings this fusion of skills to each client engagement. Currently, he is studying a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Bachelor of Business (Finance Major, Economics Minor).

Michael Summers

Analyst

Prior to joining LightHorse Group Michael worked at MFS Investment Management as a Sales, Marketing and Relationship Management Intern. In 2023, Michael joined Allens as a Paralegal, working across all service lines, primarily focusing on M&A, capital markets, banking and finance, and private equity. Michael is currently studying for a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws at the University of New South Wales. He is a keen cyclist and swimmer.

Advisory Board

Kim Gillis AM

Kim Gillis AM served as Deputy Secretary Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group where he was responsible for CASG’s portfolio of acquisition projects and sustainment products that procure and sustain materiel capability for the Australian Defence Force.  Prior to joining the Department of Defence, Kim was vice president and managing director of Boeing Defence Australia.  Kim is the Chairman of the UK defence company, Ultra Group and was previously Chairman of Cobham (owned by Advent International).

Brett Sangster

Brett has carved out a 25-year career in Defence, government and private enterprise – building upon his reputation as a thought leader and strategist in the Defence & National Security sector.  Brett graduated from Duntroon in 1999 and spent the majority of his career with Forces Command and Special Operations Command. In 2006, Brett transferred to the Australian Army Legal Corps serving with Special Operations, Forces Command and 6 Brigade as a senior legal officer. During his time in uniform, Brett was sent on numerous deployments around the world, receiving commendation for service during his final deployment in 2011.
Combining his military service with legal and commercial acumen, Brett was instrumental in designing and executing Downer Group’s defence capability and then went on to build McR Defence – an advisory arm of McCullough Robertson Lawyers supporting Government, Defence and Defence Industry with commercial, governance and advisory services.
His recent work includes the role of legal and commercial advisor for a large private equity firm on an investment in the national security sector (cyber); advising an Australian maritime SME on capital raising and US Defence market export; and advising government on the allocation of funds in the region.
Brett is a veteran and is also the Chairman of Wandering Warriors and the Australian Veterans Employers Coalition.

Joe Felter III

From 2017 to 2019, Joe served as US deputy assistant secretary of defense for South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. Joe is a William J. Perry Fellow at the Center for International Security and Cooperation and research fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford.  Joe is founder and senior advisor at BMNT;  a Silicon Valley–based technology incubator named by Forbes as one of the nation’s top-25 veteran-founded start-ups.
A former US Army Special Forces and Foreign Area officer, his combat deployments include Panama with the 75th Ranger Regiment, Iraq with a Joint Special Operations Task Force, and Afghanistan, where he commanded the COMISAF Counterinsurgency Advisory and Assistance Team, reporting directly to Generals Stanley McChrystal and David Petraeus.
Joe received a BS from the US Military Academy at West Point, a masters in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, a graduate certificate in management from the University of West Australia, and a PhD in political science from Stanford University.

Mark Donaldson VC

Mark Donaldson VC is an Australian soldier and a recipient of the Victoria Cross for Australia. On 25 January 2010, Donaldson was named the 2010 Young Australian of the Year. After receiving the award, Donaldson continued to serve in the ADF until 2017. 

Mark Stanbridge

Mark has over 30 years experience as a M+A lawyer and was a partner at Ashurst for over 25 years.  He is a specialist in cross-border and international M+A and private equity.  He was twice a finalist in the Australian Dealmaker of the Year (2016 and 2018) and is recognised in numerous legal directories.  As part of his role he has advised boards of many major companies.  Mark is a director of The Australian Rhino Project and Impossible Foods Pty Limited, and was formerly on the advisory board of Idea Spies.

Matthew C. Freedman,

Matthew is currently senior advisor to the incoming U.S. Indo-Pacific Commander.  A national security expert focused on economic development, security, military and intelligence Matthew served as a Senior Civilian Advisor to numerous USG agencies at the highest levels. Over the past 43 years he has worked in or advised 15 federal government in the national security arena including but not limited to: Departments of State, Defense, Army, Navy, Air Force, Executive Office of the President (NSC and OMB), US Special Operations Command, Defense and Central Intelligence Agency.  In the recent past, he was the Senior Counselor to the Secretary of the Army.  He has also worked as an operating partner for a NY based PE firm.

David Peever

David was most recently responsible for leading the 2021 review of Defence innovation, science and technology on behalf of the Federal Minister for Defence Industry. The review examined the Defence organisation in its entirety to establish how it can more effectively deliver home-grown, innovative capabilities for the men and women of the Australian Defence Force.
David also chaired the Minister of Defence's First Principles Review of Defence (until July 2017) and the Oversight Board which helped guide implementation of the Review's recommendations. 
David spent 27 years at Rio Tinto including as Managing Director.  He was previously Chairman of Cricket Australia and World Twenty20 2020 Ltd, a Member of the Foreign Investment Review Board, and Vice Chairman of the Minerals Council of Australia.
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